Catching Up.....

It seems like I spend a good amount of my time playing catch up.  This time there was a lot of catching up on the eight hour time change from our vacation.  (I tried to post this earlier with Live Writer, but it seems to have a mind of its own these days.  Thank goodness Blogger is working for me now.)

We flew to NYC and spent three fun packed days touring the city.  One of the highlights was the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial.  It was a VERY emotional display.  To see the faces of all of those who were lost that day, the "missing" signs that were posted on the buildings and fences,  as well as items donated by the families (cell phones, watches, personal goods) really made you recall that day all over again.  They have done a beautiful job on it and I highly recommend a visit there if you get to New York.

Plane's point of impact.

Stairs used for many to escape.

Large quilt with photos of those lost that day.

Wall after wall of photos of those who lost their lives that day.

From there we bid farewell to NYC aboard the Queen Mary 2 for a very relaxing transatlantic crossing.

Eight days later we saw our first sight of land as we arrived on a bright, sunny, warm day in Southhampton, England.

Our dear friends met us at the terminal and we made the journey to their home in the English countryside where we would spend the next six days.

Their garden is beautiful and is just coming into bloom.  We loved seeing the flowers and all of the lush green everywhere.  We were graced with the typical British weather - rain, hail, winds and sunshine - all in the same day!

Wisteria

Pink Clematis

Of course the crazy Californians relished the sight and feel of water actually falling from the skies.

We took several day trips including a visit to Flatford Mill where John Constable's The Hay Wain was painted.  Does the sight look familiar?

We even rented row boats and rowed up the River Stour for lunch at the Boathouse.  Of course, we encountered a good downpour along the way and looked like drowned rats when we arrived!

The time passed quickly and it was soon time to fly back home for family events.  The day after we got back we had our first three graduations of the year.

Life is beautiful!  Since this post is long enough, I will do another post on a couple of things going on - including the gorgeous mini quilt that I received from my ALQS9 partner.  

A Break from the Activity

DH and I managed to slip away for a few weeks following all of the wonderful entertaining and busyness over the last few months.  It is a wonderful time to travel because there are so few people doing it at this time of the year.   The travel deals are terrific and we were lucky enough to hit the weather perfectly.

We slipped in and out of London before the snows started to fall.  Heaven knows what could have happened to our plans had we been a day later leaving.

We visited with our dear friends who recently moved to the village of Finchingfield – northeast of London.  It was just delightful, although the visit was way too short.  The weather was chilly, but sunny and we enjoyed walking about the village, taking in the sights and feasting on some sausage and mash at the local pub.  I love how the houses have names instead of numbers.  I cannot imagine the task of the postmen, but they do a great job.  A few pictures to share……

 

I loved the ducks on the roof - also made of the thatching materials.

The pub where we enjoyed one of our meals.

The village green.

Returning home we came the slow route aboard the Queen Victoria.  It left from Southampton, headed to New York.  It was the first leg of a world cruise and the majority of the passengers were boarding in N.Y.  Since we were getting off in N.Y., they upgraded our room to a suite and it was fabulous.  I would have liked to have stayed on as it headed on its way only to return to Southampton April 29th.  But........we enjoyed eight days of relaxation, doing whatever we wanted.  Some of the fun things on board included classes, lectures, dancing and high tea at 3:30 each afternoon – an event NOT to be missed

Our suite with a huge balcony.

Southampton, England at dusk.

A fabulous firework display for us as the world cruise left port in England.

Grand Lobby as we entered the vessel.

Grand Lobby

Sunsets each evening from our balcony.

Line dancing class......what a blast each morning!! 

Enjoying another sunset.

Ahhhh....warm scones, clotted cream, raspberry jam and THEN a whole assortment of sweets.  Fabulous and something I could easily get used to in life.



First sights of land after eight days - the Verrazano bridge at dawn.

Lady Liberty.  She came upon us so quickly and my camera setting was off, but she is a spectacular sight in the darkness.  One cannot help but think about the meaning she has had for so many immigrants over the years.

Arriving in Manhattan rather than Staten Island because of Hurricane Sandy.  The deck chairs were not quite as inviting in the chilly 31* temperatures.

It was another wonderful adventure, but it always feels great to get back home - back to family.  We missed the freezing temperatures our area experienced while we were away.  This week we are at the opposite end of the spectrum with temps into the 80s for the week. 

 

I will post later this week with some fun mail I received while we were gone and some sewing I did along the way.  I see that Blogger is still not playing nicely so I will have to figure out a better way to post my pictures.  There is always something new to learn, isn't there????